Three events are coming up for the Know Your Rights Initiative, an important education program for same-sex married couples regarding access to enhanced Social Security benefits.
Marriage Equality USA is co-sponsoring three Town Halls in Northern California in April 2015 and we want to make sure you have the opportunity to get these events on your calendars.
More information about the National Committee’s Foundation campaign, Know Your Rights, can be found here.
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#lgbt #politics #marriage equality #LGBTQ #news #seniors #retirement #p2 #retirement crisisFor Kathy Murphy, the difference between being gay or straight is $583 a month.
Retirement should have been a “slam dunk,” the 62-year-old Texas widow says. She saved, bought a house with her spouse and has a pension through her employer.
Related reading:
The Dec. 1 Fed Page article “LGBT baby boomers face hurdles at retirement time” was a fairly comprehensive look at the hardships faced by many older, married lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples, especially those who have been denied Social Security survivor’s benefits due to a state’s failure to recognize their same-sex marriage.
![Earlier this week, Members of Congress and allies met to discuss Social Security and the GOP Congress’ manufactured crisis.
““Seniors, I stand with you all the way [on Social Security].”
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky
“We are in a crisis right now. A...](https://64.media.tumblr.com/93d9258801da499ce7712598d0be22b4/tumblr_njo11hjqsI1qd3gmvo1_1280.jpg)
Earlier this week, Members of Congress and allies met to discuss Social Security and the GOP Congress’ manufactured crisis.
“Seniors, I stand with you all the way [on Social Security].”
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky“We are in a crisis right now. A retirement crisis. Not a Social Security crisis.” - Rep. Jan Schakowsky
“Stop manufacturing a crisis with the Social Security disability trust fund.”
- Senator Bernie Sanders“This week anyone earning a million dollars a year will have paid 100% of their payroll taxes for 2015.”
- Max Richtman
The 114th Congress will see many new faces after the 2014 midterms; however, the face of our nation’s middle class remains largely unchanged - they’re poorer, more diverse, getting older and facing a retirement crisis which threatens millions.
Read more by clicking here or the graphic above.
The conservative argument that the retirement crisis is a myth has been based on the notion that Americans actually will have far more in retirement resources than they recognize — particularly that Social Security benefits will amount to a much larger percentage of workers’ lifetime income than has been assumed. Ergo, there’s no need to expand Social Security to give retirees more.
via Los Angeles Times.
Max Ritchman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare: “America’s seniors understand all too well that our nation faces a retirement crisis and improving Social Security benefits is vital to keeping millions from poverty. Rep. Linda Sanchez’s ‘Strengthening Social Security Act’ makes several important improvements for seniors by: phasing out the payroll tax cap so that the wealthy pay their fair share, creating a Cost of Living adjustment for the elderly and boosting benefits for all retirees including widows/widowers. NCPSSM strongly supports this legislation and applauds Congresswoman Sanchez for doing the right thing for America’s seniors and their families.”
Whether America is facing a “retirement crisis” in which seniors are making do with shrinking financial resources has been widely debated. But here’s a telling metric: Seniors are making a larger share of bankruptcy filings.
That’s the finding of a new paper by academic researchers affiliated with the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, which periodically samples personal bankruptcy filings from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “Older Americans are increasingly likely to file consumer bankruptcy,” they write, “and their representation among those in bankruptcy has never been higher.”
via Los Angeles Times.
Related Reading:
America’s middle class faces a growing retirement crisis. More than half of all working-age households are expected to be at risk of having to cut back their standard of living—often making painful adjustments—when they retire.
The ruling will affect everything from access to spousal pension and retirement accounts, health benefits and more. But Social Security really is the headliner. Recognition of same-sex marriage in all 50 states will guarantee access to Social Security’s spousal and survivor benefits, which are the most valuable features of the program.
via Reuters.
Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Will End Social Security Discrimination for Families Nationwide.
Seniors went to Capitol Hill earlier this month to tell Congress why their current #SocialSecurity benefits are inadequate. Boost Social Security Now! https://www.ncpssm.org/campaigns/boost-social-security-now/ @RepJohnLarson
